Post-DNC Snub, Manchin has Respectable Fundraising Haul

A Democratic senator who has said he’ll skip President Obama’s renomination moment at the Democratic National Convention in September reported a good fundraising haul for the second quarter.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) raised $843,480, which nearly matches previous best fundraising period this cycle, when he raised $884,000 in the first quarter.

Last month, it was revealed that Manchin, along with West Virginia Democrats Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Rep. Nick Rahall, would skip the DNC trip to Charlotte.

Manchin said he intends “to spend this fall focused on the people of West Virginia, whether that’s representing them in my official duties or here at home, where I can hear about their concerns and ideas to solve the problems of this great nation.”

His campaign said that the senator currently has more than $2.2 million on hand — “a comfortable position” to buy advertising and stage a “robust campaign” in the fall.

“I am grateful for the continued support from so many, who tell me they want leaders in Washington who can work together to find solutions to our nation’s challenges,” Manchin said. “I appreciate the encouragement I get from people all over West Virginia and this country who tell me to remember where I came from and to keep fighting for true West Virginia values, and that’s what I’m doing.”

Bridget Johnson is a veteran journalist whose news articles and opinion columns have run in dozens of news outlets across the globe. Bridget first came to Washington to be online editor at The Hill, where she wrote The World from The Hill column on foreign policy. Previously she was an opinion writer and editorial board member at the Rocky Mountain News and nation/world news columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News.
She is an NPR contributor and has contributed to USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, Politico and more, and has myriad television and radio credits as a commentator. Bridget is Washington Editor for PJ Media.